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(Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 S. KEATS. ROTARY SHUTTLE FOR SEWING MACHINES.

' No. 465,113. Patented Dec. 15, 1 891.

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ROTARY SHUTTLE FOR SEWING'MAGHINES. No. 465,113. Patented Dec. 15, 1891.

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ROTARY SHUTTLE FOR SEWING MACHINES. No. 465,113. Patented Dec. 15, 1891. Fly-12..

Unirno STATES PATENT @rnrch.

SOCRATES KEATS, OF TOESS, NEAR \VINTERTHUR, SlVITZERLANl).

ROTARY SHUTTLE FOR SEWING-=MACHINE8 SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 465,113, dated December 15, 1891.

Application filed November 29, 1889. Serial No. 381,916. (ModeL) Patented in England January 1, 1886, N0. 34; in Germany January 7, 1887, No. 41,395; in France February 11, 1887, No. 181,482; in Italy September 13, 1887, XXI, 22,092, and in Austria-Hungary November 18, 1887, No. 29,832.

To to whom it may (JO/b66770.

Be it known that I, SocnATns KEATS, of 'loess, near lVinterthn r, Switzerland, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Machinery for Sewing and Stitching, (which has been patentedin England by Pat ent No. 34, dated January 1, 1886, in Ger many by Patent No. 11,395, dated January '7, 1887; in France by Brevet No. 181,482, dated February 11, 1887; in Italy by Brevet No. 22,092, Vol. XXI, dated September 13, 1887, and in Austria-l'lungary by Patent No. 29,832, dated November 18, 1887,) of which the following is a specification.

The main object of thisinvention is to produce a more etiicient lock-stitch wax-thread boot or shoe sewing machine than heretofore with the shuttle above the work.

The invention consists in the sh utt-led river hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate my invention applied to that form of sewing-machine known as the swivel-horn, Figure 1 is a side elevation,partly in section, of the complete machine. Fig. 2 is a front elevation, and Fig. 3 is a sectional plan, the section being taken on the line 2 8 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 shows in full size a partial elevation of the spring-tension and release mechanism for the needle-thread. The construction of the shuttle is indicated in detail views at Figs. 5 to 8, Fig. 5 being a side view of the shuttle, showing the cavity for the reception of the cop, and Fig. (l a front view of the shuttle. Fig. 7 shows in front View and sectional elevation the shuttle-cover detached, which also serves as a cop-holder. Fig. 8 is the key used for the removal of the cover or cop-holder from the shuttle. Figs. 9, 10, and lO illustrate the formation of the cop of waxed thread. Fig. 11 shows in side and sectional views the shuttle-driving pin. Figs. 12, 18, 14,, and 15 show on an enlarged scale the cam-grooves for working the needle, feed-lever, bell-crank lever, sh little-lever, and thread-regulating lever laid out in plans, and indicate by the friclion-bowls drawn thereon the relative positions of the cams. Fig. 16 shows the loopercam in plan view.

Diagrams I to V111 illustrate the working of the various instruments to form a stitch.

The main framing of the machine consists of a hollow cast-iron standard A, to which is bolted a bracket A for receiving the swivelhorn 1:3, and a head-piece A for carrying the shuttle-race, the needlebar, and the presser and feed bar, with the levers for operating the shuttle, the needle, and the presser and feeding foot.

C is the vertical cam-shaft, turning in bearings c, fitted into three horizontal webs cast in the hollow standard. Motion is imparted to this cam-shaft through a band from any prime mover operating the loose coned pulley (1', which is pressed into a conical hollow in the upper part of the grooved cam 0 fast on the shaft 0, by a bell-crank lever C", actuated by an arm forming part of a pedal-lever 0 \Vhen it' is desired to drive themachine by foot-power, another arm of the lever (1 is furnished with a bowl to work in the groove of the cam 0 assisted by a tension-spring 0*, which reverses the action of the lever 0 A fiy-wheel G, keyed to the cam-shaft above its top bearing, serves to steady the action of the machine.

The horn 13 is free to turn, as usual, on its hollow bearing under the action of the attendant to present the Work to the action of the needle; but it is capable of being locked in position to suit the operations of fair stitching and closing. D is the reciprocating needle-bar, carrying the hooked needle d, which serves to pierce the work and fetch up the sewing-thread from the looper to present it in the form of a loop to the nose of a rotating shuttle. The needle-bar receives its reciprocating motion from the camD, tixed on the upper end of the cam-shaft A bracket attached to thetop of the head A of the frame A carries the fulcrum for a lever D the tail of which lever is fitted with a bowl for work ing in the groove of the cam D. The other end of the lever D is linked to the needlebar D. By the rocking motion, therefore, of.

the lever D imparted to it by the rotation of the cam l), the reciprocating vertical motion of the needle-bar and the needle is obtained. The thread to be supplied to the needle I find it unnecessary to wax preparatory to insertin g it in the machine, relying upon its taking up sufiicient wax from the shuttle in the act of passing over the surface to receive the locking-thread. The shuttle is supplied with waxed thread and is kept heated in the usual manner during the working of the machine. Thus, as the locking-thread is drawn out of the shuttle itwill impart a portion of its war; to the heated surface of the shuttle, and it is from this source that the needle-thread derives its wax.

E (see Figs. 5 and 6 andDiagrams I to VIII) is the shuttle, the general form of which is lenticular; but its perimeter takes somewhat of the form of one turn of a screw-thread, one end of which constitutes the nose 6 and the other end the heel 6*, the said nose and heel being tapered and pointed and nearly opposite each other, but in different planes. The inner surface of the nose is channeled, as indicated at e in Diagram VIII and in dotted outline in Diagram III and Fig. 5. In the screw-like perimeter of the shuttle there is a directly-circumferential groove 6 to fit the shuttle-race EE which will be presently described,the said groove being parallel with the intended planes of rotation of the shuttle and the nose 6 being on one side and the heel (5* being on the other side of said groove. On that side of the 'shuttleon which the nose 6 is situated there is at a short distance forward of the heel 6* a swell 6 (See Figs. 12 and Diagrams V, VI, VII, and VIII.) Between the nose e and the heel (2* there is an eccentric opening 6 right through the shuttle for the reception of a driving-pin f, and within the body of the shuttle there is a large threadspace, which is inclosed by a cover f (see Fig. 7,) from the inner face of, which project supporting-pins f which'receive the thread between them.

The thread is preferably prepared in the form of a hollow conical cop, as illustrated in side View and section at Fig. 9, and it is compressed first into the form shown at Fig. 10 and afterward into the form shown at Fig. 10 to permit of its being thrust into the space provided to receive it bctweenthree snpporting-pinsf projecting from the inner face of a cover f which closes the opening made in the side of the shuttle for the ad mission of the thread. A forked tensionpiece f further assists to keep the cop in place. This forked piece, which is also secured to the cover, is pierced immediately below the prongs of the fork to permit of the thread drawn through the fork being returned through the forked piece and led out through a central hole in the cover.

The cover is held in place by giving the pins f a set outward, so that they must yield slightly to lateral pressure as the coveris applied to the shuttle, and will then bear tightly against the inner walls of the shuttle. To

remove the cover I employ akey, (shown at Fig. 8,) the nose of which is inserted in a slit in the cover and then used to draw it outof its recess.

The shuttle-race consists of two plates E E arranged in the same plane, the plate E being firmly secured to the head A and the plate E being fitted to slide in or on the head A toward and from the plate E. Those edges of the said plates which are toward each other conform to the groove e of the shuttle, so that they form together a nearly complete circular bearing or raceway, an opening being left between them for the loops of the needlethread. The sliding plae E is removable to permit the insertion and removal of the shuttle, and it is retained in position by a spring E, Fig. 2, which allows it to yield when a thread or other impediment gets between the shuttle and the race.

The shuttle-driving pin f, hereinbefore mentioned as received within the opening 6 of the shuttle, projects at right angles from a slide F, carried by a rock-lever F, which forms a guide for the said slide by being rabbeted on one side to receive the said slide, which is secured in place by a cover made fast to the said rock-lever. This cover is slotted longitudinally to allow of the play of a pin, which projects laterally from the slide F.

The lever F has its fulcrum on the headpiece A and carries at its tail a bowl f, which enters a groove f in the periphery of a cam F on the camshaft 0, whereby the lever is operated. The pin projecting laterally from the slide F enters a transverse hole in the head of a plug, which slides in a socket in the pendent arm of a bell-crank lever F fulcrumed on the head-piece A The other arm of the said bell-cran k lever carries a bowl, which enters a groove f in the periphery of the cam F As, therefore, the cam-shaft is rotated, the slide F, carried by the rock-lever F, will be moved to and fro and rocked, so as to cause its driving-pinfto move in a circular or nearly circular path, concentric or nearly concentric with the axis of the shuttle E, but is prevented from turning on its own axis. By this movement of the said pinf is caused to press against the sides of the opening e of the shuttle and impart intermittent rotary motion thereto, the said motion taking place when the bowls of the rock-lever Fand rock-lever F are in the curved path of the cam-grooves f f and beingintermitted While the straight portionsof said grooves are passing the said bowls.

To provide for the passage of the needlethread loop between the inner perimeter of the shuttle and the driving-pin both when passing onto and passing off the shuttle, the said pin is flattened on its periphery, as shown in Fig. 11, the flattened portion taking a spiral direction along the axis of the pin to con- IIIO form with the interior of the opening e or inner perimeter of the shuttle.

The action of the shuttle E is peculiar, for it not only serves to lay the locking-thread in the loop of the needle-thread, but it opens the loop, imparts wax to the needle-thread, and tightens up the stitch. These actions of the shuttle will be fully described hereinafter when explaining its movements relatively to the motions of the looper and the hooked needle. GG (see Fig. 1) is a compound swinging frame mounted within the horn B and carrying the looper g, which is a detachable arm varying in form at its termination to suit the work in hand. The piece G of the swinging frame is carried by vertical centers fitted to the horn, and this piece G serves to carry centers for supporting the piece G, to the upper end of which the looper is made fast.

The compound frame G G is operated by an eccentric G which works in a strap formed in the lower part of the swinging frame. By the rotation of this eccentric the looper g is caused to lay its thread in the book of the needle (Z when the needle has descended through the work. The looper g is formed with an eye to receive the thread from a ball contained in a box G carried by the standard A. The eccentric G is carried by a hollow spindle G, which passes down the hollow center of the horn B and has its bearing therein. The lower end of this hollow spindle carries an arm G to which is pivoted a link G, which couples it to a lever G' pivoted near its center to a radius-arm G having its .fulerum in lugs projecting from a bracket bolted to the main framing. G is a second radius-arm fulcrum ed on a bracket proj ectiu g from the middle bearing 0 of the cam-shaft O and pivoted at its free end to the tail end of the lever G which is fitted with an antifriction bowl. This bowl works in a groove in a face-cam G on the cam-shaft. By the rotation, therefore, of the shaft in the direction of the arrow (see Fig. 3) a rotary motion is imparted to the eccentric G which, through the compound frame G G, causes the looper toperform its required movements.

For feeding the work under the needle I employ the ordinary presser-foot.

H (see Figs. 1 and 2) is the pressing and feeding bar. h is the pressing and feeding foot. This baris supported bya rocking fulcrum H, which is socketed into the head A of the framing. A hole is bored vertically through this fulcrum to receive the upper end of the bar I l, which is supported in position by a retainingcollar. Below the fulcrum the bar carries an adjustable collar h to receive the pressure of a coiled spring 72 which surrounds the bar and is confined between the collar and the rocking fulcrum for the purpose of putting an elastic pressure on the pressing and feeding foot. A pin projects from the collar h to receive the upward pressure of a hand-lever H when it is required to lift the presserfoot clear of the work, or adjust the pressure of the spring 71?, which latter is effected by changing the position of the collar h on the presser-bar.

The bar His embraced by a gripping-piece 11 which is pivoted at one end by a pivot 7L5, Fig. 1, into the forked end of a compound rocking-lever H and at its opposite end the grippingpiecc carries a hooked projection for connecting with a tension-spring h, attached to the front plate of the machine. This spring serves to hold down the gripping-piece H in contact with an adjustable fixed stop H (see Fig. 1,) and as it acts in opposition to the compound lever Il which imparts the feed motion, it also gives the back motion to the feedbar. The compound lever is mounted loosely on a pin carried by a swivel-fork which is fitted to the head A This lever at its tail end carries a bowl which enters the cam-groove 7&7 of the cam Il on the camshaft G, and also a bowl which lies in the path of a tappet h Fig. 13, on the periphery of the cam H By the rotation of this cam the groove 71.7 imparts a vertical rocking motion to the compound lever H", and the tappet gives to that lever a lateral oscillation. Thus the feed motion of the presser-foot is derived from the tappet h and its rise is effected by the cam-groove 72. The return motion of the feed-bar is derived from the spring 7L9, which connects that bar with a fixed point on the framing, and the adjnstment of the "length of stitch is effected as usual.

In order to drive the machine with great speed, it has been found desirable to provide a special tension apparatus for the needlethread. The thread, as it leaves the box G passes through a fixed guide 1 (see Fig. 4,) thence through the ordinary pressure-disks 2' t, which are held together by a coiled spring and adjusting-nut, as usual. The thread next passes to a grooved roller carried by a threadregulating lever I,fulcrumed on a bracket bolted to the main framing. This lever I receives a rocking motion from a cam I on the cam-shaft C. The grooved roller carried by this lever is situate immediately below the hollow center of thehorn B and receives from the friction-disks the thread, which it guides up and delivers to the looper g. The thread as it passes from the lever I is led up the hollow center of the horn toa guide-roller g, set immediately above it. From this roller it passes into the vertical portion of the horn and is led under a roller g carried by the frame G. From this rollerit passes up to a guide-roller 9 mounted at the upper part of the frame G and near the bend of the horn, and from this roller it passes to the eye of the looper.

In order to stop the supply of thread at the time that the stitch is being tightened, I provide the following contrivance: Situate beside the friction-disks and capable of receiving a slight lateral motion is a hinged arm 1 secured to a bracket, which also carries the thread-guide and friction-disks before mentioned. This arm is shaped so as to surround the pressure-spring of the disks and leave it free to act while the arm advances toward or moves from the outer disks.

1 is a pressure-spring,which causes the arm I to put pressure on the disks and thereby to stop the delivery of thread. The lever I IIO is furnished with an incline or projection which stands in the plane of the arm I when that is in action. As, therefore, the lever is raised to follow the rise of the needle and give it thread to form a new loop, this incline or projection will, so soon as the last stitch has been tightened by the .action of the shuttle, as will be hereinafter explained, bringits incline into contact with the arm I force it away from the friction-disks, and allow a further supply of thread to be drawn off by the shuttle. So soon as this has taken place the lever I will retire, drawing down the needle-thread from the shuttle as the shuttle is passing out of theloop. In this return movement the lever I releases the arm I and allows it to renew its pressure on the disks and stop the further supply of needle-thread.

Before explaining the operations of the machine itmay be Well to state that the hooked needle plays no part either in tightening the stitch or in supplying fresh thread to the looper. Its duty is simply to pierce the work, take upafresh loop, drawit through the work, and present it to the nose of the shuttle. In doing this it puts no friction upon the thread, but simply retains the lap of thread which is to form the loop in the exact position at which it is placed in the hook by the looper. To prevent the thread sliding in the hook as the needle ascends, the thread-regulating lever I is so timed that it will follow the needle in its ascent and thereby give out the required amount of thread to enable the needle to move without straining or putting friction on the thread. I have said that the nose of the shuttle takes the loop from the needle. This it does so soon as the needle has risen from the work a sufficien't distance to present the loop to the nose of the shuttle. The timing of the rotation of the shuttle and the rise of the needle is such that the shuttle will pass under thepoint of the needle and rise up at theback of the needle before theloop is released from the needle-hook. It is to provide for this release and to prevent contact with the point v of the needle that the nose of the shuttle on its inner surface is channeled out, as indicated at e, as hereinbefore mentioned. By this means a space is cleared for-the point of the needle, which dips into the channel by reason of the shuttle rising faster than the needle. The loop, now fairly on the nose of the shuttle, is lifted clear of the hook of the needle, and the farther rise of the needle takes it out of the path of the shuttle, as the latter completes its rotation, to disengage itself from the loop and lay its waxed lockingthread therein.

In Figs. 5 and 6 I have shown a small elastic piece e attached to the heel of the shuttle. This elastic piece is detachable; but it is found desirable to use it whenever fine sewing is required, as it serves to retard the delivery of the loop from the shuttle and prevent the thread from being pierced by the descending needle.

completed its rotation, but still I will now describe the action of my improved machine, referring specially to the motions of the operating parts during the formation of a stitch, which motions are illustrated by a series of eight diagrams.

Diagram I shows in front elevation the rotary vertical shuttle mounted in its holder, the nose of the holder for supporting the work, and the needle, which is in its lowest position. The horn,being in section, shows the hook of the needle receiving a lap of thread from the looper. The shuttle-driverpinfand the shuttle are at this time stationary, and the previously-formed loop is on the heel of the shuttle.

Diagram II shows in front and side views the same parts in the position taken when the loop is just formed, and the nose of the shuttle about toenter the loop brought up from below by the needle, the driver-pin) moving in the direction of the arrow Diagram III shows in side view the loop lifted out of the hook of the needle by the nose of the shuttle, the channel 6, the inner surface, and the noseat this time receiving the point of the hooked needle.

Diagram IV shows in side and front elevation the shuttle, drawing on the previous loop.

Diagram V shows in front and side elevation the shuttle pulling the last stitch tight and passing its lockingthread through the loop of needle-thread.

Diagram VI shows the locking-thread passed through the needle-thread loop.

Diagram VII shows the shuttle and drivingpin in the position for the escape of the loop of needle-thread to the heel of the shuttle.

Diagram VIII shows in front and side views the operating parts, the shuttle having nearly retaining the loop on the heel-spring extension, as in Dia gram I.

The action of the machine is as follows: The hooked needle cl descends until it commences to pierce the work, holding it down on the nose of the horn B, and at this instant the presser-foot 72 is raised and is then taken back the length of a stitch and again brought down onto the material, adjusting itself to the varying thicknesses that may be presented to it. The presser-bar II is then gripped and held fast. During these movements of the pressing and feeding bar the hooked needle cl descends through the material and the looper g lays the thread needle, as shown at Diagram I. At this time and while the needle is rising through the work the tension-disks t" 2" hold the needlethread firmly between them. The thread to form the loop is supplied for the one half by the rise of the thread-regulating lever I and for the other half of the loop from the previous loop just escaped from the heel of the shuttle. By these means the thread has no movement in the hook of the needle. WVhen the hooked needle has risen sufficiently to clear the thickest material required to be sewed, the shuttle begins to rotate in the diinto the hook of the IOO IIO

rection of the arrow 3, and its movement is so timed that the point or nose of the shuttle enters the loop just beneath the point of hooked needle, as shown at Diagram II, the tip of the nose of the shuttle being in the plane of the center line of the needle. Both needle and shuttle continue their movements until the channel 6 in the nose of the shuttle is brought beneath the point of needle, when the shuttles movement is accelerated (the cam F being suitably cut for that purpose) and the movement of the hooked needle is re- 'tardcd by the peculiar cut of its cam D.

This causes the point of the needle to enter the channel c in the nose of the shuttle and allow the shuttle to continue its movement clear of the needle-point. The difference of speed of the nose of the shuttle and the needle causes the loop of needle-thread to be lifted out of the hook of the needle, as shown at Diagram III. At this time the flattened portion of the shuttle-driver pin f is presented to the shuttle, and space is thereby allowed for the loop to pass the pin-driver, as also shown in Diagram III. The further upward movement of the needle is accelerated to keep the point of the needle clear of the nose of the shuttle as it rotates. (See Diagrams IV andV.) The shuttle,continuing its movement, draws up the remainder of the thread, forming the previous loop on the one side (see the front view of Diagram IV) until the stitch is drawn tightly in, (see Diagram V,) the thread-regulating lever giving off the portion for the other side of the loop. The tension on the supply-thread at this moment is diminished by the removal of the pressure of the spring-lever on the tensiondisks through the action of the thread-regulating lever I at the end of its upward motion, as explained with reference to Fig. l. The further movement of the shuttle will now cause its swell c to draw up as much thread from the ball as was used to make the previous stitch. At this time the loop of needlethread is drawn upward to its utmost limits over the center of the shuttle, as shown at Diagram V, and its Waxed thread is thereby,

laid in or through the loop. The remaining half of the shuttles rotation releases the loop of needle-thread, the thread-regulating lever I drawing down the thread as it is released by the shuttle until about half the loop remains above the work. The first portion of the downward movement of the lever I allows the pressure of the spring-lever I to be applied again to the tensiomdisks. The thread-regulating lever will now draw the loop toward the heel, as shown at Diagram VI. The further movement of the pin f will cause it to present its flattened surface to the heel of the shuttle, when the loop will pass the driving-pin, it being drawn past the pin by the pull of the thread-regulating lever, as shown at Diagram VII. As the nose or point of the shuttle and its heel are in different vertical planes, the loop in leaving the heel will fall out of the line of the needle, and thus the needle will be effectually prevented from descending through its previous loop. The feed of the work takes place after the loop has passed the driver-pin, and the act of feeding the work will slacken the loop and facilitate its withdrawal from the heel of the shuttle. This movement is shown in Diagram VIII. The small spring 0 fitted to the heel of the shuttle, holds the loop of thread and will retain it until drawn oif by the needle at its next ascent, as shown at Diagram II. The use of this spring 6 will both assist in preventing the needle from descending through the previous loop and from catching it as it rises when very short stitches are being made.

'Ilaving now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is- 1. The rotary sewing-machine shuttle, having its perimeter of the form of one turn of a screw-thread, one end of which constitutes the nose and the other end the heel of the shuttle, the said nose and heel being nearly opposite each other, but in different planes, substantially as herein set forth.

2. The rotary sewing-machine shuttle, havingits perimeter of the form of one turn of a screw-thread, one end of which constitutes the nose and the other end the heel of the shuttle, the said nose and heel being nearly opposite each other, but in different planes, and that side of the shuttle next which the nose is situated having a swell or protuberance a short distance in rear of the heel, substantially as herein set forth.

3. A rotary sewing-machine shuttle having in it a circumferential groove to fit a raceway and having its nose on one side of said groove and-its heel on the other side of said groove, substantially as herein described.

4. The combination, with a hooked needle, of a rotary shuttle having its perimeter of the form of one turn of a screw-thread, one end of which constitutes the nose and the other the heel, and having in the inner surface of the nose a channel to receive the point of the needle for the purpose of allowing the shuttle to remove the loop from the hook of the needle, substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth.

5. The combination, with the rotary shuttle having an opening 6 therein, of the rock-lever F, the slide F, carried by said lever, the pin f, attached to said slide, for entering the said opening 0 in the shuttle, the bell-crank lever F connected with said slide, and the cam F having the grooves f f 3 foroperatin g, respectively, upon said rock-lever and bell-crank \Vitnesses G. EINSIEDLER, H. I-IoFAMoNAm/t 

